Demonstrators have called for an arms export embargo and a boycott of goods made in Israel<\/p>\n
Thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday, calling on the UK government to stop supplying arms to Israel and boycott trade over what protesters described as three years of \u201cgenocide\u201d against Palestinians in Gaza.
\nIsrael launched its military campaign in Gaza three years ago in response to the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage. The United Nations estimates that around 1.98 million people, or 90% of Gaza\u2019s population, have been displaced by the operations since then, while much of the enclave\u2019s water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
\nVideo footage from central London shows crowds of demonstrators gathering along the Victoria Embankment, with many wearing keffiyehs, carrying Palestinian flags, and holding placards reading \u2018End the genocide\u2019, \u2018Free Palestine\u2019, \u2018Disarm Israel, save lives\u2019, and \u2018Make empathy great again\u2019 as they marched towards Parliament. A bride and groom also appeared to be among those taking part.<\/p>\n
The protesters urged the British authorities to step up efforts \u201cmake much more strident efforts\u201d to force Israel to comply with international law, journalist and political commentator Syed Mohsin Abbas, who was at the scene, told RT. The Deep Dive Perspective podcast host stressed that demonstrators were calling for more concrete steps against Israel wherever possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe realistic demands are really that the arms to Israel should be stopped altogether, trade with Israel should be boycotted,\u201d Abbas added.<\/p>\n
There are already some UK restrictions on arms exports to Israel, including the suspension of licenses for equipment that could be used by Israeli forces in Gaza. Britain has also taken steps to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories. London has said it will refuse export license applications for goods that could materially contribute to the occupation, while other trade restrictions target settlement-linked activity.<\/p>\n
Protesters view those measures as limited steps that fall short of bringing about meaningful change for Palestinians. Ismail Patel, head of the UK-based campaign group Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), criticized the restrictions for targeting trade linked to Israeli settlements rather than taking broader action on arms exports and commerce with Israel, accusing the British government of adopting a \u201cperformative\u201d stance instead of meaningful action to protect Palestinian rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Demonstrators have called for an arms export embargo and a boycott of goods made in Israel Thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday, calling on the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t